


Inked On My Heart

by taekaivi



Category: EXO (Band), SHINee, VIXX
Genre: M/M, Polyamory, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:28:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26319457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taekaivi/pseuds/taekaivi
Summary: Taemin and Jongin get a couple tattoo but something other than their ink continues to stick with them.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Kim Wonshik | Ravi/Lee Taemin, Kim Jongin | Kai/Lee Taemin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	Inked On My Heart

"He's posted about LGBT related things on his Instagram before." Taemin tells Jongin as they're on their way to the parlor. It's the nth time that he's been trying to comfort him but he won't give up now that they're so close to their goal. Of course it was Taemin's idea to get everlasting ink on their skin that would bind them for eternity. It took a lot of whining, convincing, poking and prodding but finally on the fated morning of their tenth anniversary Jongin said he might be interested in getting a tiny little tattoo if that's what Taemin really wanted.

"He's a friend of a friend. I told you that right? Moonkyu knows him." Jongin nods, already looking a little pale. It's not the idea of being attached to Taemin for the rest of his life that frightens him, in fact he kind of likes that part, it's the thought of needles poking his skin deep enough to leave an artistic scar that makes him a lot less happy. He grips the subway car handle a little tighter and tries to show Taemin a smile. 

They worried for a little about what artist would put tattoos on a couple that consisted of two men. Taemin shared their thoughts with his friends and so Moonkyu had pointed them to one of his own friends who went by the name 'Ravi' online. They had checked out his Instagram and found countless pretty drawings on skin that took their breath away. Taemin couldn't arrange an appointment fast enough.

The tattoos would be personal, Taemin would get a little bear paw while Jongin would sport a small ace of spades on his wrist, matching the nicknames they often gave each other. They decided on that particular placement since it would be easy to cover up with longer sleeves or a bracelet in case it wasn't allowed to be seen somewhere. 

Taemin slides his hand over Jongin's side and gives it a soft squeeze. He continues talking to him about his new found love for this silly variety show about guessing music lyrics and before Jongin knows it they're standing in front of the tattoo parlor. The bright golden antique style letters spelling 'GROOVL1N' greatly standing out in the small side street.  
He lets Taemin enter first, hides behind him a little. Of course Taemin steps forward with confidence and approaches the desk where a man their age, or maybe a little younger, is scribbling something on a piece of paper. 

"We have an appointment." Taemin announces proudly.

The stranger asks them if they're the two here to see Ravi and when it's all confirmed they're told to head downstairs and take the first door on their left. 

The parlor is quaint, lots of odd decorations that keep fighting for Jongin's focus. There's a statue of a french bull dog, multiple potted cacti, a shiny lion's head and too many drawings to count gracing the walls. It's the hints of gold in the furniture and various pieces that draws the entire ensemble of odds and ends together.

They go downstairs as they are told and it leads to an already open door. The inside looks much neater. The walls are still cluttered with pictures and drawings of various styles of tattoos but the rest of the room is empty save for the chair and the equipment needed to set a proper tattoo. They also find a man inside, cleaning said equipment. He looks up when he hears his clients arrive and shows the both of them a smile. 

"Taemin and Jongin?" Comes a deep voice. 

Jongin waits for Taemin to say something but suddenly notices that his boyfriend is standing there with his mouth almost hanging open. Not knowing what's gotten into him Jongin gives him a nudge with his elbow and speaks up. 

"Yes, I'm Jongin and he's Taemin." 

Finally Taemin seems to come to his senses and gives a small bow of his head. 

"I'm Ravi but you can call me Wonshik if you're more comfortable with Korean names." He explains to them as he takes place on his stool. "So I've showed you your designs over Instagram but they're right here if you want to look them over one more time before they'll be stuck with you." 

Jongin in response takes a curious peek at the papers Wonshik pointed too and the small drawings are exactly as he remembers them. They even manage to bring a little smile to his face. "Yes, we like them. They're very pretty." 

He looks towards Taemin who still seems to be a little off but actually responds this time. 

"Very pretty." Taemin repeats with emphasis. "We agreed that I would go first since Jongin is nervous about the needles."

Jongin in turn pouts and quickly adds. "Just a little." Then gets back to hiding behind his smaller boyfriend. 

Wonshik laughs at that and gives them both a nod. "That's all good. We'll take it easy and we can stop at any time. It's just a small design so it shouldn't take too long either." 

The comfort coming from the actual artist this time has slightly more effect on Jongin than everything Taemin had told him beforehand and so he sits down on the extra stool in the room with a hint more confidence. 

Of course Taemin does it all with grace. He sits down in the designated chair and when Wonshik has put the template on him and they've agreed on the placement of the tattoo it starts. Jongin jumps at the sound of the tattoo pen starting to buzz and squints his eyes closed when the needles first hit Taemin's skin. In the far corners of his mind he expects a terrible blood bath where Taemin is screaming and Wonshik runs after them with various torture devices but the room stays silent until Taemin speaks up and asks Wonshik about how he got into this kind of work. Jongin watches them have a regular, relaxed conversation with his eyes wide and then before he even has time to register it all, Taemin's design is finished and he now has a pretty bear paw on his skin. 

"Look!" Taemin squeaks and waves the drawing in front of Jongin's face with shining pride in his eyes. "You're my bear for the rest of eternity now." 

All Jongin sees is how red and puffy his skin is around the black mark but he doesn't dare to ask how much it hurt, would rather not know for now. 

"You're gonna be just fine." Taemin reassures and reaches for his hand. He even sneaks a kiss to his cheek while Wonshik's back is turned as he's cleaning up the equipment for a second round. 

It's Jongin's turn to take place in the chair and he does so with shaky legs. He has a death grip on one of Taemin's hands as he displays his other for Wonshik. It's clearly tensed. 

"You're gonna have to relax your arm at least, otherwise the design might turn out weird." Wonshik tells him with empathetic smile. 

"Oh, I see." Jongin answers. Involuntarily his lips pull into a pout again and he looks at Taemin for help. 

Taemin is quick to take the hint and pets Jongin's hand with his own as he starts talking. "Remember how we first met? We were paired up in that dance class neither of us wanted to go to because there weren't enough girls that day. We had a fight over who would lead the dance and even though I won with rock paper scissors I kept stepping on your toes? I still seriously think you would've punched me in the face if the lesson didn't end in time." 

Jongin smiles at the memory and gives a little nod. "Then you offered to buy me ramen from the convenience store to make it up to me." He adds, eyes twinkling with mirth. 

Taemin intercepts again and continues on, talking about how he choose a much too spicy cup of ramen and snot and sweat were both pouring from his face on that fateful first evening together. Jongin relaxes as they speak and his body slowly releases its tension. Then Wonshik sees his chance and even the whirring of the machine can't distract Jongin from reminiscing with his Taemin. It's only when the needle punctures his skin that he gasps and looks down at what's happening. Against all odds he doesn't scream or cry or pull his hand away but he bursts into an overwhelming cacophony of giggles. 

It's so sudden that even Wonshik looks up for a moment, distracted from his work. Jongin doesn't care, all the tension of that moment spilling from his body in laughs and hiccups. He infects Taemin who starts chuckling beside him, his hand in front of his mouth as he hopes not to disturb their artist. The small design takes no time at all and so when Jongin has finally come down from his fit of laughter Wonshik puts the needle away and pulls his mask down. 

"You survived." He teases and shows his charming smile again.  
Jongin finally lets go of Taemin's hand to wipe the tears that gathered at the corners of his eyes and then bows his head towards Wonshik. "Thank you." 

It's about two weeks later and they're sitting on the couch, both their tattoos are healing nicely and Jongin still smiles everyday when he sees them. They're watching the variety show Taemin was so enthusiastic about. Their legs are tangled up while their torsos are on opposite sides and occasionally they tease each other with a push of their toes. In the middle of the show, just when they're about the get the answer right, Taemin speaks up. 

"How would you feel if I said I had feelings for another person?" 

Jongin's heart sinks and he looks up at Taemin with wide eyes who's staring back at him a little dumbly as if this hasn't just turned Jongin's world upside down. 

"I mean alongside my feelings for you of course." Taemin clarifies.

Jongin isn't sure what to say, his mouth opening and closing multiple times while his heart goes crazy inside his chest.

"I don't really understand." He confesses and his brows come together in a crease. 

"I mean that I love you but I might have a little crush on someone else." Taemin says without missing a beat, almost like he's practiced. Jongin thinks that maybe he has or it's just Taemin's stupid luck that he always pulls everything off so well. 

Taemin finally picks up on Jongin's distress and reaches to turn the tv off. He pushes Jongin's legs down and the settles himself promptly in his boyfriend's lap so they're as close together as they can be. 

"Don't be silly. I'll always love you." Taemin says and smiles as he pushes Jongin's hair out of his face. It's been getting longer.

"But you like someone else." Jongin responds, lips pulling into a faint pout without him even realizing. 

"I do. But I promise that's not a bad thing. Listen, have you ever heard of polyamory?" 

He has to think about that. Jongin vaguely knows about open relationships and how there's people that share their partner with others. It has never much appealed to him. His heart has belonged to Taemin ever since he saw him sitting sweating and snot nosed on that little wooden bench when they shared their first cup of ramen. 

"There's people that have multiple partners." Taemin continues, still looking bright. "And I don't mean like they just go around having sex with everyone, which, don't get me wrong, is a valid choice but it's not what I'm after. They date multiple partners at the same time in a closed relationship. It's like a three way where everyone loves each other and is happy in that relationship." 

Jongin's heart calms a little. That sounds a lot less awful than the things that immediately jumped to his mind. In fact it intrigues him a little. 

Jongin has always loved to love. Has always been sweet and affectionate. His loyalty is fierce and he has his friends' backs no matter the circumstances. Sometimes his love extends to even strangers, in the way he offers his help or smiles at the old lady at the restaurant they frequent. Jongin's heart is spilling over with affection and the prospect of having an extra place to put that love somewhere is interesting. A second person to give his heart to. 

"I guess that could be nice." He relents.

Taemin visibly brightens and in his happiness presses a kiss to Jongin's lips. 

"You see I've been talking to someone and I like him quite a lot. I thought it couldn't hurt if we maybe were to ask him on a date sometime." 

"Who?" Jongin asks, brows pulling together again no longer out of displeasure but simple curiosity. 

"Do you remember Wonshik?" Taemin asks and Jongin quickly nods because of course he remembers the man that tortured him. "I've been chatting with him online for the past few days. He's really cute. A bit similar to you because he's kind of shy. Who would've expected that?" 

Jongin tries to listen but his mind is reeling. Suddenly all of Taemin's strange reactions during their appointment make a lot more sense. Of course he tries to imagine it. Wonshik with them. It feels a bit odd but not terrible. From that first meeting he seemed nice enough and Jongin definitely thought he was charming, especially that deep voice ringing through the room. 

"So you want to be with him?" Jongin asks with wide eyes and an innocent expression and Taemin laughs. "Well yes. But I want to get to know him first, go on a few dates just like we did. I wanted to go with you though. That's why I'm bringing this up. I didn't want to go meet him on my own you see." Jongin nods again, slowly taking in all this newly gathered information. 

"I guess we can try." He relents and Taemin immediately brightens up. "Really? We'll take it at your pace. You know nothing will happen unless you give me permission right?" Jongin hums and his head moves up and down. "I know. I trust you." He answers and in response Taemin presses a prolonged peck to his lips. "Wonderful." 

A few months later Jongin is sat in a small cozy cafe with Taemin on his right and Wonshik across from him. They've been seeing each other nearly every week, if not more, and every meeting has been delightful. The fall weather allowed for hiking trips, cafe visits, park walks by the river where they ate tteokbokki and let the spicy sauce burn their lips. Taemin would kiss Jongin to 'heal' him when he complained and Wonshik would nervously look away but never say anything. 

The way they're sat now is getting awfully familiar and Jongin feels comfortable with his latte cupped in both of his hands. Him and Taemin had a serious talk the night before and today is the day where they're going to take that next step and see if Wonshik is truly interested in them. Jongin doesn't really know how to go about it but he's sure that Taemin knows what he's doing and so he doesn't even feel awfully nervous about it. 

"Wonshik," Taemin says suddenly and it draws both Jongin's and Wonshik's attention. "We want to invite you into our relationship." Jongin nearly spits out his sip of his 90% milk latte and Wonshik's eyes seem to grow three times the size while Taemin sits with a smile on his face as if he's just asked them about the weather. 

"Taem!" Jongin hisses and nudges him sharply with his elbow to which Taemin replies with an innocent, "What?" 

Suddenly a deep laugh interrupts them and both Taemin and Jongin look at Wonshik with surprise. "Now that makes a lot more sense. I was seriously wondering why you were flirting with me in front of your boyfriend. He didn't even say anything either." Jongin flushes a pretty shade of pink and considers if he should've been more protective of his relationship but he's kind of enjoyed watching Taemin flirt and seeing Wonshik's innocent reactions. 

"Yes, we've talked about this. I don't do much without running it by Jongin first." Taemin replies with a smile and reaches to squeeze Jongin's knee and Jongin's heart flutters without his permission as it always does. 

There's a moment of silence in which Wonshik seems to be thinking. "Are you sure I can come between you two? I mean you're practically attached at the hip. I wouldn't want to feel like I'm constantly imposing on something." 

It seems like a fair question. One Jongin hadn't really considered yet. In fact he expected a joking rejection, not serious consideration of their question. 

"It might seem like that now but we will involve you more. We've just been careful as of right now, testing the waters." Taemin replies and Jongin suddenly wants to chime in. "We didn't want to push you, you know? So we just admired from afar, or at least I did. Taeminnie was maybe a bit more direct at times." They all let out a snicker at that. 

"Have you been in a polyamorous relationship before?" Wonshik asks next. 

"Neither of us." Taemin says. "But you intrigued us to the point of wanting to try." 

Wonshik suddenly looks a bit shy, like everything is dawning on him all at once and Jongin thinks it's cute. 

"I didn't except the cutest couple I've met to be into me." Wonshik says with a nervous laugh and Taemin immediately seems to pick on the positive notes, sharp eyes scanning their target over. "So does that mean you're interested in us?" He says with a smile that holds a hint of mischief. "I think I am." Wonshik replies and puts his cup down. Jongin's heart nearly leaps out of his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! If you took the time to read this thank you so much. This is my first ever fic and I want to disclose that English is not my first language and I proofread everything myself. I wanted to write something for this underrated trio since they're some of my favorites around. (I've also never gotten a tattoo so if this is wildly inaccurate feel free to laugh at me). 
> 
> You can find me on twitter [@taekaivi](https://twitter.com/taekaivi) if you are interested in following me and seeing with me if I'll keep writing things or if you just want to yell about SHINee EXO and VIXX with me. Thank you again for giving this a look!


End file.
